Reconnecting America was pleased to see that the president’s budget for Fiscal Year 2012 offers significant deficit-reduction, but also calls for substantial investment in our nation’s infrastructure, particularly for public transportation and high-speed rail.

“This budget includes real transportation reform along with sustained investment, which means our tax money will yield the results which will benefit all Americans,” says Reconnecting America CEO John Robert Smith. “Every dollar spent on public transportation creates $4 of new economic activity, providing jobs and strengthening our economy for the long-term.”

The budget proposal seeks to leverage private-sector investment in our infrastructure, provide for greater local control and community-based action, and encourage efficiency through competition. The budget also consolidates 55 highway programs into just five streamlined programs—thus reducing unnecessary bureaucracy and increasing the flexibility provided to local communities.

The budget also carries forward the Inter-agency Partnership for Sustainable Communities, which invests in locally developed community activities based on performance and outcomes, creating accountability for results. A core mission of the Partnership for Sustainable Communities is to break down silos between federal programs to ensure that limited federal resources are used efficiently and effectively.

Reconnecting America looks forward to working with the Obama Administration and elected leaders on Capitol Hill in the coming weeks as the budget process further evolves. We want to ensure that the additional investment in transportation called for over the next six years will serve as an investment in stronger, more sustainable economic growth for our country.